Alan Johnson promises crackdown on all asbo breaches

The renewed drive to tackle minor crime and antisocial behaviour will include a promise to ensure that all breaches of asbos are prosecuted, the home secretary, Alan Johnson, indicated in his Labour conference speech.

It followed a pledge from the justice secretary, Jack Straw, that a national victims' service will be set up later this year, with the first one-to-one help being provided for the bereaved families of murder and manslaughter victims.

Both Johnson and Straw made clear that crime will grow more prominent in No 10's agenda as the election comes closer by stressing that safe streets were as fundamental as healthcare or education.

Both men also went out of their way to put on the record their support for Gordon Brown, with Johnson stressing that Labour could only win if the party was "united behind our leader". He said that the failure of the police response to gangs' fatal persecution of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter was exceptional: "But it's one that should never have happened and there must be no excuses."

Johnson's promise on asbos appears at first sight to be a challenging target, after the last published figures showed that 61% of teenage asbos had been breached. "We need to make it clear that antisocial behaviour isn't a low-level nuisance to be tolerated, it's a major source of insecurity and unhappiness that has to be tackled wherever and whenever it occurs," he said.

The home secretary also confirmed the details of an announcement to give the police powers to stop violent partners returning not only to the family home, but anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood for up to 14 days.